The Recipe for "Good People" (Updated and reposted from 2016)

History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.

-- Martin Luther King, Jr.

What makes good people? What is the recipe for good people? This is a question recently put to me by a friend, and it is a question not easily answered. People are so diverse, they remind me of cookies; you may think you've found the best of the best only until a better one comes along. Even the best of us is only as good as the least of us. Our flaws are as obvious as our attempts to disguise them, and to what end? If the good people are defined by their "appalling silence" perhaps their silence is due in no small part to the deafening, "strident clamor" of the bad people of which they are truly a part.

But speaking out is much different than a strident clamor. My father gave me sage advice before I entered the military: The one who controls their voice controls the conversation and walks away from that over which they have no control. 

What makes a good person? Maybe it's knowing when to fight the good fight and when to pick up your wounded and walk away from the bad. In my almost 70 years of life, I've found most battles aren't worth fighting. Stupid can be learned, and most of us learn it well. Unfortunately, I have found it to be a severe malady to cure, simply because it is so much easier to be an idiot than to practice restraint.

When I want to find good people I look to the innocence of an unjaded child. Children can teach us how to find sincerity and authenticity, as they are drawn to it. Desmond Tutu once said, "Children are a wonderful gift... They have an extraordinary capacity to see into the heart of things and to expose sham and humbug for what they are."

If you wish to discover the truly good person, look for someone who does not have to justify themselves.  Bad people always have a justification, a reason, for what they do.  You usually find these lost souls in the League of the Perpetually Offended, and even the perpetually offended are only offended until they're not, which is never.  

The few good people I have encountered, just are.  For them it is their life, it occupies them constantly, whether they realize it or not, it is enough for them, and for us - as it should be.  

Our world should be as amazing as when we were children, a time when a new friend became an old friend the moment you said hello and began adventures and discovery together.  There was no skin color or religion.  Girls had cooties but you secretly stole a glance at her and smiled.  All was right with the world, as it should be for children.

Childhood is the world of miracle and wonder… as if creation rose, bathed in the light, out of the darkness, utterly new and fresh and astonishing. The end of childhood is when things cease to astonish us.

-- Eugene Ionesco

What is the recipe for good people?  A good person is simply a bad person who willingly sacrifices their life to save another.  Who are we to judge?  Who are we to assign a label?  "For if he stands, he stands to his Master, and if he falls, he falls to his Master, for it is appointed to his Master to be able to establish him."  Our heroes and role models stumble and fall, sinners and hypocrites all.  Yet, in the darkest hour, there can be light.  It is the glimmer of hope, found in forgotten love, forgiveness, understanding, and tolerance.  It can be found in the acceptance that other people have an opinion, and our willingness to hear them out, providing they exercise the same willingness to peacefully discuss and debate in a spirit of understanding.  If there is no control, there is no point, and it is better to wish them well, take the high road, and simply walk away.

Perhaps the recipe for "good people" can be found in the description of a mentor, as a trusted counselor or guide, an advocate and teacher that seeks no reward for themselves for what they do as their actions are reward enough.  A selfless, humble, mentor says little and, yet, speaks volumes.  The few I have encountered can light up the room by entering, and then open the gates of happiness with their smile.   They have no real need to speak for they exude so much kindness as can be simply felt by those around them.

 There is no one recipe for a good person, no cookie-cutter sameness.  They can be found in the greatest of us and in the least; the richest of us and the poorest.  They can be found in a child with cancer or with Down syndrome.  They can be found in the eyes of the very old or those of a newborn babe.

Good people simply are.

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with the United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and, finally, a senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world-renowned, Western Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research.

Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony: tolerantpastor@gmail.com